The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-11-19
pAyiTT's PARLIAMENT.
The Irish AeItator States His idea Of
Home Rule.
Rights of the minority to be consti-
tutionaIIy Guarded.
parneI, the Leader of a Conservative
Nationalist Party.

Nrw YoRK. Nov. 1S.-The Tribune prints
| the following extracts of lecture delivered
nv Michael Dayitt in Limerick last night ON
| tba WORK of an Irish Parliament Mr.. Davitt
says:
"lt is surely possible fully and fairly to
| safeguard the rights Of the minority in Ire
land without violating the principles of con-
stitutional government. am certain that
no Nationalist objects to any practicable
proyision which will insure to our Protestant
fellow countrymen the fullest representation
m which their numbers entitle them. Twen-
| tv-fve ner cent. of the entire representation
| in the National Assembly could be guaran-
teed n them. This would be more than the
minority population could justly claim, but l
am sure that this number would not be OBJ
iected to by the Catholic portion of the COM
munitv. To insure also tbat the Protestants
of the South and West should be as fully
represented as those of tne North, a 'scrutin
de llste' system of election could be pro-
yided. by aid of which the ablest champions
of the minority could be voted for in Con-
naught and Munster as freely as in the most
Protestant part of Ulster. In Legislature
of. saw. 800 members, the minority would
thus have compact party of 70, comprising
the best ability within its ranks, and when
what is now known as the Nationalist or
Home Rule party would be certain to be
divided into two or three parties in national
assembly, it would not be at all inn
probable to find the minority repre-
sentation holding more or less of the
balance of power. The division of parties
=. Al. oloc hlv xvon16 hQ nr0bablv
as follows: First, conservative National
ist party. This combination would be con-
servative in the sense that 1t would be the
party that would be elected by the constltu-
encies which would desire to see the men In
power through whose influence the nome
rule constitution would have been won. IL
would, of course, be the first In power, ana
would probably remain in office until the
prestige attaching to it should weaken It's
hold on the country. Mr.. Parnell would be
the head of such conservative Natl0nalist
party, to whose task would fall the Work OF
placing the country well upon the path OF It's
new self-gOyerning career. Behind such
party there would be the great influence OF
the churches, Catholic and Protestant, the
property and commercial classes, ana Oh
course the services of the legal fraternity.
Second, Democratic or Radical Nationalist
party, sub-divided into two groups, one mold
ing advanced views upon social and educa-
tional questions, and upon methods OF ad-
ministratve government; the other having having
measure of self government that would be
granted to Ireland the less would grow the
desire for total severance between ireland
and Great Britain. The third party would
comprise the Of tnGse misb wno
sumo the name of the pro-Engllsh party. In
the high education of its members, and IN
| the subdivision of the other parties upon
conflicting issues, this third party would
inf,
legislature. Its policy or mission might be
to work for the status quo ante.
"These three parties would, think, repre-
sent the division of Parliamentary feeling IN
an Irish national assembly, The first duty
of the new Parliament would be easily per-
formed That would be to make the new
law and order respected. National senti-
ment, so long at war with unjust and alien
administration, would combine with national
honor to uphold laws, which would become
would be secured in their justice and impair
tial administration. But the first great task
which hope will devolye. upon the new
Legislature will be that which has baihed
the efforts of English statesmen-a hnal set
tlement of the Irish land question am
aware that the present landlord government
is hugging the hope OF being able TO pass a
measure for the solution OF this great PROB
lem, but maintain now, as l have never
ceased to assert during the last five years,
that it is in Dublin and not In LONDON tne
final settlement of this question must be made
The next national undertaking could be the
resuscitation of our manufacturing interests.
The linen trade Of Ulster is not in prosper
Gus condition. The cultivation of flax has
fallen away under heavy rents and the ex
tension of grazing. Then the very heavy
protection duty imposed upon linen before 1t
can reach the United States explains this de-
cline in this great Ulster industry. But that
duty is most likely to be reduced or taken
away in the revision of the tariff which the
enormous surplus revenues of the great re-
pective reduction of the duties upon imported
linen into the United States, there would be
a more prosperous career before the great
staple industry of Ulster under Home Rule
| Parliament. Concurrently with the building
| up of our linen and woolen manufactures, an
| Irish Parliament could not omit extending an
| immediate helping hand to our fisheries: Not
more than 1OCc9 or 1900 men now ind en-
| ployment around our coasts, where at one
| time over 60,0co were employed in harvesting
| the food treasures of our seas" Mr.. Dayltt
concluded by predicting that an lrish Parlia-
ment was nearer of attainment than was
| generally believed.